Tire inspection — South Carolina Permit Test
Tire inspection on the South Carolina permit test — 5 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.
The rules
Check your tire pressure with a pressure gauge monthly.
Tires with too much or too little air can cause a crash, and you cannot feel the pressure change as you drive.
Check Tire Pressure with a Pressure Gauge Monthly
The recommended tire pressure (PSI) is on a sticker on the inside doorframe.
The right pressure differs from vehicle to vehicle, so you need the maker's figure to compare your gauge reading against.
On the inside doorframe, you should see a sticker.
Check tire pressure when the tires are cold.
Driving warms the air in a tire and raises the reading, which hides under-inflation.
to get an accurate reading (make sure you check when they are cold).
If your gauge reads higher than the number on the doorframe, let air out of your tires.
Over-inflated tires are as much a safety issue as under-inflated ones; the goal is to match the maker's number.
If the number on your gauge is higher than the number on the doorframe, let air out of your tires.
In the penny test, if you can see all of Lincoln's head, your tires are too worn to drive on and must be replaced.
Tires with low tread grip the road poorly, and the penny gives a quick check anyone can do.
worn—don’t drive on them. Make sure to get them replaced.
On the test
How often does the manual say to check tire pressure with a gauge?
Once a month. Tires with too much or too little air can cause a crash, and you cannot feel the pressure change as you drive. South Carolina Driver's Manual, p.44: “Check Tire Pressure with a Pressure Gauge Monthly”
How this works
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All South Carolina permit topics
Where these come from
Every rule here is checked against South Carolina Driver's Manual, published by the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-10-03.
- src/assets/drivers-manuals/SC.pdf (South Carolina Driver's Manual, South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, created 2026-03-30, retrieved 2026-09-14; sha256 pinned in SOURCES.json)
- src/assets/drivers-manuals/SC.pages.txt (the plain pdftotext fixture every citation here was cut from and verified against; sha256 pinned in SOURCES.json)
- https://dmv.sc.gov/forms-and-manuals
- https://dmv.sc.gov/driver-services/drivers-license/testing (read 2026-10-03; states no count or mark)
- https://dmv.sc.gov/driver-services/drivers-license/beginner-permits (read 2026-10-03; states no count or mark)
- https://www.scstatehouse.gov/coderegs/Chapter%2090.pdf (read 2026-10-03; pass rates for driving-school students only)